Multilevel house trailer

ABSTRACT

A multilevel house trailer suitable for movement along public roads or highways in which the upper level is retractable into the lower level, including means for elevating and lowering such upper level with respect to the lower level.

United States Patent Harry W. Locher, Jr. Houston, Tex.

July 2, 1969 Oct. 12, 197 l Pyramid Industries, Inc.

[7 2] Inventor [21 Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee [54] MULTILEVEL HOUSE TRAILER 6 Claims, 12 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 296/23, 5 2/66 [51] Int. (I 860p 3/34 [50] Field of Search 296/233, 23, 26, 27; 52/66, 67, 68, 69

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,739,833 3/1956 Schenker 296/233 2,862,253 12/1958 Place 296/233 X Pn'mary Examiner-Philip Goodman Attorney-Hayden, Pravel, Wilson & Matthews ABSTRACT: A multilevel house trailer suitable for movement along public roads or highways in which the upper level is retractable into the lower level, including means for elevating and lowering such upper level with respect to the lower level.

PATENTEUUET 12 I9?! 3,612,589 sum 1 or 5 Hm! Wm At Mmm ATTOR/VL' VJ PATENTEDnm 12 I97! SHEET 2 OF 5 J m m M v m y W H INVEN TOR hone] HAW K Malibu/A HTTORNE YS PATENTEIJum 121971 SHEEI t 0F 5 INI EN TOR HTTORNEYS PAIENTEDUCT 12 Ian SHEET 5 OF 5 I [NI EN TOR ATTORNEYS MULTILEVEL uousE TRAILER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains to a housetrailer having multiple living levels or stories with the upper living level being retractable into the lower living level to facilitate transportation along public roads and streets and with means for raising and lowering such upper level and supporting it in the raised position.

2. Description of the Prior Art Due to the increasing mobility of our society and the increasing cost of land and conventional housing, the mobile home industry has grown steadily over the last few years. However, due to limitations on the length, height and width of vehicles which are permitted on public roads and highways, the total living area in mobile homes or housetrailers, as they are sometimes called, has been relatively limited. Although there are some larger mobile homes which comprise two or more separate sections that can be joined together to form a single structure, these units require multiple moves in order to move from one location to another and cannot be moved as a single unit along the public roads and highways.

SUMMARY The present invention comprises a new and improved mobilehorne or housetrailer which is small enough to be moved along public streets or highways and yet which provides sub stantially more living area than an ordinary housetrailer of comparable overall dimensions.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mobile home having at least an upper living level and a lower living level wherein the upper level is retractable into the lower level to facilitate movement of the mobile home along the publicstreets.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mobile home having upper and lower levels with means therein for raising and lowering the upper level with respect to the lower level and supporting such upper level in its elevated position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the multilevel housetrailer of the present invention showing the upper level in its elevated position relative to the lower level;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the housetrailer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the upper level of the housetrailer of the present invention;

'FIG. 4 is a plan view of the lower level of the housetrailer of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a drive arrangement for driving the means for raising and lowering the upper level of the housetrailer;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the sidewall of the present invention showing the upper level in retracted position inside of the lower level;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the upper level in its elevated position above the lower level with the front wall of the upper level in a retracted position; 7

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the front wall of the upper level in its extended position;

FIG. 9 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section showing details of a means for raising and lowering the upper level;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10ll0 of FIG. 9 showing the apparatus for pivotally mounting the front wall in the upper level;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing an interior wall partition standing in a vertical position and also shown in phantom pivoted into a horizontal position to facilitate lowering of the upper level into the lower level; and

FIG. 12 is a view partly in elevation and partly in phantom showing a pivoted stop for holding the front wall portion of the upper level in a retracted position suitable for lowering the upper section into the lower section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The multilevel housetrailer of the present invention, designated generally H in FIG. 1 of the drawings, comprises a lower story or living area L and an upper story or upper living area U which is adapted to be raised into the elevated position shown in FIG. 1.0r lowered or retracted into the lower living area L by means of jacks .I to facilitate movement of the housetrailer l-I along a public road or highway as will be described in detail hereinafter. It will be appreciated that the undercarriage including the axle and wheels on which the housetrailer H is carried is not shown in the drawings but that a standard undercarriage positioned beneath the lower floor of the lower level L and obscured by the skirt 11 which extends around the perimeter of the lower level L is used for transporting the housetrailer l-I. Also, the front porch 12 with the steps 13 and the handrailing 14 are not normally included as a part of the housetrailer H but may be positioned adjacent the front doors as shown in the drawings.

FIG. 4 shows the layout of the lower level L including the floor 16, the end walls 17 and I8 and the front and rear walls 19 and 20, respectively. The front wall 19 is provided with the front doors 22 and windows 23. Similarly, the rear wall 20 is provided with a rear door 24 and rear windows 25. A stairway 26 is provided for connecting the lower area L with the upper area U. Such stairway 26 and the walls 28 and 29 to which the stairs are secured, are mounted on the floor 16 and extend vertically upward therefrom. The vertical room partitions or divider walls 31 and 32 as well as the partition 33 are located beneath the upper living area U and are pivotally mounted on the floor 16 to permit such walls to be pivoted from a vertical or upright position to a horizontal position adjacent the floor I6 such as is shown in phantom in FIG. 1 l to provide space for receiving the upper living area U when it is retracted into the lower living area L.

The other vertical wall partitions, such as 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 are permanently fixed in place and remain in a vertical upright position whether the upper area U is retracted into the lower area L or extended into its elevated position.

The layout of the upper living area U as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings comprises an exterior front wall 40, a rear wall 41 and end walls 43 and 44. Interior vertical walls or partitions 46 and 47 form a closet 48 and vertical walls 49, 50, 51 and 52 form a bathroom 53. Also, the walls 54 and 55 form a closet 56 against the rear wall 41. As best seen in FIG. 3, when the upper unit U is retracted into the lower unit L, the front and rear walls 40 and 41, respectively, are inside of and adjacent to the front and rear walls 19 and 20, respectively, of the lower unit L. The end walls 43 and 44 of the upper unit are adjacent the interior walls or partitions 35 and 34, respectively, when the upper unit is retracted into the lower unit.

As shown, an L-shaped stairway 26 extends upwardly from the lower floor l6 and beside the fixed walls 28 and 29. The wall 55 at the back of the closet 56 is positioned so as to be adjacent the foot of the stairs 26 when such upper section is in a retracted position'and the head of the stairs will be adjacent the floor 55 of the upper level U when the upper level is in the elevated position. Windows 56' are provided in the front wall 40 and the end wall of the upper section U. A sliding door 58 is in the end wall 43 to provide access to a sun deck 59 that ispositioned on the roof of the lower living portion L.

FIG. 9 shows in detail the arrangement and construction of the walls and floor of the lower living section L and the upper story or upper section U. As shown, the lower living area or section L is carried on a substructure composed of a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse members 70 such as steel beams or other suitable support members which are connected together by longitudinally extending base angle members 71 extending along the outer ends of the lower transverse members 70 for supporting the vertical exterior walls. For purposes of description, the front wall 19 is shown, however, the rear wall 20 is of substantially the same construction. Such front wall 19 comprises a plurality of vertically extending wall studs or vertical members 80 which are preferably channel members or other suitable structural members having an outer flange 81 on which is secured the outer or exterior wall material 82 and an interior flange 84 on which is connected the interior finished material such as plywood 85. An inverted U-shaped channel member 87 is provided at the top of the studs 80 for receiving the upper end of the jacks 60 as will be described hereinafter. The transverse member 70 also supports the floor 16 which may be formed of plywood, particle board or other suitable material on'which the floor covering is placed.

In the preferred form of this invention, a plurality of screwjacks 60 are provided at longitudinally spaced positions in the front wall 19 and rear wall 20 of the lower unit for raising and lowering the upper unit L with respect thereto. As shown in FIG. 5, such jacks 60 are actuated by a chain 75 which is driven by a drive motor 76 such as a reversible electric motor or other suitable drive means which can turn or rotate the jacks either clockwise or counterclockwise for raising and lowering the upper unit U. The screwjack 60 comprises a longitudinally extending shaft 61 which is positioned in the wall 19 and extends through a suitable opening (not shown) in the angle plate 71 extending along the outer edge of the lower section L. An annular collar 62 extends circumferentially around the shaft 61 and is secured thereto by welding or other suitable connecting means for supporting the shaft 61 on the baseplate 71. A shoulder 63 is provided on the lower side of the collar 62 for engaging a ring of ball bearings 64 which ride on the upper horizontal surface of the angle plate 71 to facilitate rotation of such shaft 61.

The shaft 61 is provided with threads 65 which extend from adjacent the collar 62 upwardly to the upper end of the shaft 61. The upper end of such shaft is rotatably mounted in a socket 66 that is formed in a plate 67 that is secured by bolts or other suitable means to the lower side of the central portion of the channel 87. Such threaded portion 65 carries a threaded sleeve 72 thereon which moves vertically relative to the shaft 61 upon rotation of such shaft. A sprocket 74 is keyed or otherwise secured to the lower end of the shaft 61 and is connected by means of a chain 75 to a suitable power drive apparatus which will be described hereinafter that drives the chain 75 so as to rotate the shaft 61.

The threaded sleeve 72 is connected by means of a plate 77, that extends laterally through a slot or suitable opening in the inner wall 85, to a longitudinally extending channel member 78 which is welded or otherwise secured to the end of a beam 79 that extends transversely of the upper section U. Other jacks 60 are secured to a corresponding channel member (not shown) which is connected to the opposite ends of the beams 79 for supporting such upper section U.

The plurality of transverse beams 79 function both as ceiling joists to support the ceiling 94 in the lower floor level L, and also to support the floor 96 of the upper area U.

In the preferred form of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 7-9 of the drawings, the exterior portion 40a of the front wall 40 of the upper section U is pivotally mounted so that such exterior portion may be pivoted inwardly or retracted into the wall 40, as shown in FIG. 9, for moving, and pivoted outwardly into the position shown in FIG. 8 when the housetrailer is in place for use.

Such front wall 40 comprises a baseplate 101 which is a longitudinally extending U-shaped channel member supported on the flooring 96 and which has a longitudinally spaced vertical channels or studs 103 disposed therealong for supporting one end of the transversely extending rafters or roof beams 107. The other end of the beams 107 is supported by the rear wall 41. Such beams 107 support the exterior roof 109 and also carry the interior ceiling 108. Plywood 117 or other suitable interior finish material may be placed on the inner surface of the vertical beams or wall studs to form the interior wall of the upper level U.

In the preferred form of the present invention, the pivoted exterior wall cover 40a is formed of a plurality of parallel studs or beams 113 which are arranged so that a pivoted stud 113 is adjacent each of the fixed studs 103.

A tubular member or pipe 122 is provided for pivotally mounting the studs 113 with respect to the fixed vertical wall studs 103. Such pipe 122 extends longitudinally of the wall 40 and wall cover 40a and is mounted in suitable openings 123 in the vertical channel or beam members 103 and similar openings 124 in the beams 113 to enable such front wall cover 40a to be rotated or pivoted outwardly relative to such fixed wall 40. As shown, a reinforcing plate 125 is provided in the vertical channel members 103 and such channel members are secured by bolts to the roofing rafters 107 on which the roofing 109 is secured.

Similarly, the wall joists 113 are provided with reinforcing plates 133 for increasing the strength of the vertical wall joists 113. As shown, the exterior wall cover 400 is fonned of horizontal strips of inclined wedge-shaped material 119 resembling clapboard siding, which is preferably aluminum or other suitable material that is connected by means of screws 120 or other connecting means to the outer edge of the pivoted beams 1 13.

A pivoted lower stop is provided adjacent the lower end of the front wall cover 40a and is pivotally mounted on the roof section 96 by means of a suitable pin 141. As shown in FIG. 12, such pivoted stop 140 may be pivoted from a horizontal position up into the upright position shown in phantom against the stop block 142 so as to retain the hinged or pivoted wall cover 40a in its retracted position within the wall 40 as shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings to facilitate raising and lowering the upper section U relative to the lower section L.

FIG. 6 of the drawing shows the upper section U in its retracted position relative to the lower section L. The inner wall 40 of the upper section U is adjacent the outer wall 19 of the lower section L, and with the ceiling 94 lowered into the retracted position so as to be spaced above the floor 91 and with the roof 109 of the upper section U positioned just above the upper end of the outer vertical wall 19.

In FIG. 7 of the drawings it will be noticed that the upper section U has been elevated so that the ceiling 94 is now adjacent the upper end of the outer lower wall 19 and with the wall cover 40a of the upper section U shown in phantom pivoted out of the pocket or recess in the wall 40 into its inclined position which it normally occupies when the upper section U is in its elevated position.

In FIG. 8 of the drawings, the soffit is shown pivoted upwardly to engage and connect to the lower end of the front wall cover 40a so as to enclose the pocket area in which the wall cover 40a retracts.

Thus, in using the apparatus of the present invention, the motor 76 may be actuated to drive the chain 75 which will drive the sprocket 74 connected to the screwjack shafts 61 and thereby raise the upper section U from its retracted position in the lower section L until the upper section is in position adjacent the upper end of the walls of the lower section L. Thereafter, the pivoted lock or latches 140 may be pivoted out of position adjacent to the lower end of the upper wall cover 40a to permit such wall cover to be pivotally moved into its inclined position as shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings so that thereafter the soffit 150 may be swung from its position adjacent to wall 19 (FIG. 7) into its horizontal position (FIG. 8) to close the pocket in which the wall 40 is carried.

The inner wall panels 31, 32 and 33 in the lower section L may be pivoted from their horizontal storage position as shown in FIG. 11 of the drawings into the vertical upright position which they normally occupy in use so that the upper end of such wall engages or is adjacent to the ceiling 94.

When it is desired to transport the multilevel mobile home of the present invention over a public street or road, the interior wall partitions 31, 32 and 33 in the lower section L are pivoted into a horizontal position such as shown in phantom in FIG. 11 of the drawings, and the upper wall cover 400 is pivoted into the wall 40 and latched therein by the pivoted latch 140. The soffit 150 is then moved to a vertical position adjacent the upper end of the wall 19 and the screwjacks 60 are then actuated to lower the upper section U into the lower section L. With the multilevel mobile home in its retracted position, then it may be moved along the public streets and roads from one location to another. It will be appreciated that other means for raising and lowering the upper unit relative to the lower unit may be employed, such as hydraulic lifting means or other mechanical types of jacking apparatus or, if desired, individual drive or motors may be employed with each jack 60 or, if desired, such jacks may be actuated manually.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape, and materials as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A multilevel house trailer comprising:

a. a lower living unit enclosed by floor, walls and ceiling and having an opening therein;

b. an upper living unit enclosed by a floor, walls and a ceiling, said upper unit being positioned in said opening in the ceiling of said lower unit;

c. means for raising and lowering said upper unit through the opening in the ceiling of said lower unit to permit said upper unit to be retracted into said lower unit for travel and elevated above said lower unit for occupancy; and

d. said lower living unit including interior partition walls pivotally connected to the floor of said lower unit whereby said partition walls may be pivoted from a vertical to a horizontal position to enable said upper unit to be retracted into said lower unit.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said means for raising and lowering said upper unit relative to said lower unit includes a plurality of screwjacks positioned on opposite sides of said lower living unit and adapted to be rotated in one direction to elevate said upper unit and in the opposite direction to lower said upper unit.

3. The invention of claim 2 including means for rotating said jacks simultaneously to raise and lower said upper unit.

4. The invention of claim 1 including a fixed stairway extending from the floor of said lower unit upwardly to the level of the floor in the upper unit when said upper unit is into elevated position and means in said lower unit for permanently supporting said stairs in said upwardly extending position.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein an upper unit wall comprises a vertical wall which is rigidly secured to the floor and ceiling of said upper unit and an exterior wall cover, pivot means for pivotally mounting the upper end of said exterior wall cover adjacent the upper end of said vertical wall and means for supporting said exterior wall cover in an inclined position relative to said vertical wall.

6. The invention of claim 5 including latch means for latching said pivotally mounted wall cover adjacent said vertical wall to enable said upper unit to be retracted within said lower unit. 

1. A multilevel house trailer comprising: a. a lower living unit enclosed by floor, walls and ceiling and having an opening therein; b. an upper living unit enclosed by a floor, walls and a ceiling, said upper unit being positioned in said opening in the ceiling of said lower unit; c. means for raising and lowering said upper unit through the opening in the ceiling of said lower unit to permit said upper unit to be retracted into said lower unit for travel and elevated above said lower unit for occupancy; and d. said lower living unit including interior partition walls pivotally connected to the floor of said lower unit whereby said partition walls may be pivoted from a vertical to a horizontal position to enable said upper unit to be retracted into said lower unit.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said means for raising and lowering said upper unit relative to said lower unit includes a plurality of screwjacks positioned on opposite sides of said lower living unit and adapted to be rotated in one direction to elevate said upper unit and in the opposite direction to lower said upper unit.
 3. The invention of claim 2 including means for rotating said jacks simultaneously to raise and lower said upper unit.
 4. The invention of claim 1 including a fixed stairway extending from the floor of said lower unit upwardly to the level of the floor in the upper unit when said upper unit is into elevated position and means in said lower unit for permanently supporting said stairs in said upwardly extending position.
 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein an upper unit wall comprises a vertical wall wHich is rigidly secured to the floor and ceiling of said upper unit and an exterior wall cover, pivot means for pivotally mounting the upper end of said exterior wall cover adjacent the upper end of said vertical wall and means for supporting said exterior wall cover in an inclined position relative to said vertical wall.
 6. The invention of claim 5 including latch means for latching said pivotally mounted wall cover adjacent said vertical wall to enable said upper unit to be retracted within said lower unit. 